9 Santa Teresa Tours to Book Next

1.Santa Teresa, Lapa, and Cinelândia with Tram Ride and Selarón Steps

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 274 reviews · 4 hours (approx.) · from $60Our pick

Spend about four hours exploring Santa Teresa, Lapa, and Centro, with a ride on Rio’s historic bondinho, a walk down the colorful Selarón Steps, and stops at Ruins Park, Passeio Público, Cinelândia, and Confeitaria Colombo. A guide provides commentary in English, Spanish, and Portuguese. Pickup is offered at main hotels in Rio’s South Zone.

“The tour guides are excellent and knowledgeable. The van was comfy and cool. It was nice not to worry about anything and just do it. Only thing I would change (which I know would be somewhat burdensome but I think it would be beneficial) is having everyone meet at one or two pick up locations. A lot of time is lost picking and dropping off everyone.”

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2.Historic Rio and Santa Teresa Half-Day Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.4 · 228 reviews · 4 hours · from $47Best value

Visit Rio’s historic center, Lapa’s Carioca Aqueduct, and Santa Teresa’s winding streets on a four-hour car tour with hotel pickup. A multilingual guide connects the city’s old and new architecture, then takes you to Parque das Ruínas for views over Guanabara Bay. Past guides include Dario, Monica, and Millene. Allow extra time in high season, when traffic can slow the route.

“How lucky to have Ricardo all to ourselves. He took us to all the tourist highlights, gave us time to spend inside each one, whist he drove around the block returning to pick us up, gave us time patiently whist we shopped and gave us great advise on the prices and took us to some secret/off grid sites too.”

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3.Ancient Rio and Santa Teresa Tour with Hotel pick-up and drop-off

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 154 reviews · 4 hours (approx.) · from $55

Spend about four hours seeing Santa Teresa and central Rio by air-conditioned vehicle, with short walks at historic stops. Expect mansions, the 1897 tram, Lapa’s arches and grand civic buildings. The tram is a sight, not a promised ride, and museums are viewed from outside. Guides have included Renato, Dario, Wagner and Monica.

“We saw things we would not normally see in Rio and we went places where we would not normally go. Our guide was very informative and answered all of our questions with sincere interest.”

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4.Walking tour of the bohemian neighborhoods of Santa Teresa and Lapa

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 59 reviews · 3 hours 30 minutes (approx.) · from $72Top rated

This 3.5-hour Rio tour pairs a ride on Santa Teresa’s famous yellow tram with guided walks through the neighborhood, Selarón Steps, Lapa, and Cinelândia. Guides have included Santa Teresa local Ivan and artists Edmundo and Lorena. Expect historic architecture, city views, and a small group capped at 12.

“We had the absolute best walking tour through Santa Teresa with Lorena and it proved to be one of the highlights of our Rio trip. The neighborhood is beautiful and has a fascinating story and history, and Lorena walked and talked us through it all with a wonderful sense of candor and humor. And even when there was a bump in terms of getting the streetcar up at the beginning of the tour due to a situation up in the neighborhood, she was quick to respond and adjust. And when we mentioned we’d already seen one of the attractions on another tour the day before, she was great about coming…”

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5.Centro Historico and Lapa – Santa Teresa Walking, Historical and Bohemian Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 44 reviews · 7 to 8 hours (approx.) · from $137

Spend 7 to 8 hours walking Rio’s historic center, visiting landmark churches and squares, riding the yellow tram to Santa Teresa, and seeing the Selarón Steps and Lapa arches. A guide leads the tour, which starts and ends at Copacabana Palace and includes a drink. Lunch is not included, and the group is capped at 12.

“Superbe découverte du centre ville. Yvan nous a fait découvrir l’histoire de Rio pendant une journée. Merci encore à lui pour toutes ces explications. Je recommande vivement”

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6.Santa Teresa – Bohemia and Art

★★★★★★★★★★4.6 · 23 reviews · 3 hours · from $60

Spend three hours walking Santa Teresa with an English-, Portuguese-, or Spanish-speaking guide. See colonial houses, urban murals, yellow trams and views of Christ the Redeemer, then visit Parque das Ruinas and the restored mansion of Laurinda Santos Lobo. Tram tickets and açaí with pão de queijo are included, though long tram queues can change the route.

“Per pura coincidenza ero l'unico ad avere prenotato il tour in quel giorno ed orario per cui avevo la guida solo per me. Ho potuto chiedere ogni cosa e il fatto di essere da solo mi ha permesso di ascoltare tutte le spiegazioni lungo il percorso in modo ottimale. Il quartiere è molto caratteristico ed interessante. Merita sicuramente di passarci una qualche ora e magari anche tornarci per conto proprio”

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7.Explore Santa Teresa: Walking Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 6 reviews · 3 hours · from $106

Walk Santa Teresa with a bilingual guide, visiting Parque das Ruínas, Chácara do Céu Museum, Largo dos Guimarães, Museu do Bonde, and Rua Laurinda Santos Lôbo. The tour highlights the 1897 tram, local art, and historic mansions, with pickup and drop-off in several Rio neighborhoods. Past guide names include Thiago, Renato, and Leo; guide assignments vary.

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8.Lapa and Santa Teresa with Tram Ride

★★★★★★★★★★4.2 · 5 reviews · 4 hours · from $200

Take a four-hour guided route from Downtown to Santa Teresa by historic tram, then continue on foot through Ruins Park, the Selarón Steps, Passeio Público and Cinelândia. The guide speaks Portuguese, English or Spanish. Hotel pickup is included in the South Zone and Barra da Tijuca; food and drinks are not.

“Tour molto carino e guida molto professionale e preparata, probabilmente però non vale i soldi spesi, troppo costoso per essere un tour a piedi di mezza giornata”

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9.Lapa and Santa Teresa

★★★★★★★★★★4.6 · 4 reviews · 6 hours · from $52

See Lapa’s arches and the colorful Selarón Steps, visit Rio’s striking Metropolitan Cathedral, then ride the Santa Teresa tram and walk the neighborhood with a private guide. Aldo is praised for clear explanations in French and English. The $52 price covers the guide only, so plan separately for transport, tram and attraction tickets, food, and drinks.

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